RBC: Bad Weather is Bad News for the Boat Business

The weather in 2019 could be raining on Brunswick's business

The U.S. has experienced historic levels of rainfall in 2019, and some on Wall Street see this as bad news for the boating business. Brokerage firm RBC this morning downgraded boat producer Brunswick Corporation (NYSE:BC) to "sector perform" from "outperform," and lowered its price target to $47 from $55. The analyst note said that dealers will likely be hesitant to take in new orders as they try to unload their inventory going into 2020. While RBC likes BC stock in the long term, these near-term weather issues could keep the shares range bound, the note said.

The equity has already had a rough stretch on the charts, falling from a September peak around $69 to almost $41 last month. The shares have been trading below their 50-day moving average since early May, last seen trading at $45.62.

Despite this technical weakness, analysts are very upbeat on the marine products specialist. By the numbers, 11 of the 14 covering firms recommend buying the security, and the average 12-month price target is all the way up at $64.14.

And while options activity overall is relatively quiet on Brunswick, sentiment seems bullish among speculators, as well. This is because peak open interest of 3,060 contracts is at the September 50 call, and most of these options crossed at the ask price, suggesting they were bought to open. If that's the case, these traders are hoping BC shares rise above $50 in the months ahead.